Mrs. Schumacher and Ms. Rossiter

schumaka@qps.org and rossitst@qps.org

217-224-3770, ext. 231

Fall 2007- Spring 2008

Objective: American Literature is a yearlong sophomore level English course (one credit). This course focuses on American fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama. Persuasive and expository writing as well as research skills will be emphasized. Grammar, vocabulary, and speaking skills will be taught in the context of reading and writing.

Literature: The American Experience Anthology

Upon completion of the course, students will have read and studied the following books:

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

Other titles that may be used in the curriculum (whole class or choice selections) will be taken from a specific book list, available upon request. Parent’s signature on this syllabus indicates permission for your student to read these texts.

We may occasionally view other curriculum-related movies or movie clips, none of which will exceed a PG-13 rating. Parent’s signature on this syllabus indicates permission for your student to view these movies.

93-100 A

85-92 B

71-84 C

60-70 D

<69 NC

Materials required for this class everyday:

Black or blue pens, #2 pencils, and highlighters

Loose-leaf paper

3 ring binder

Tardiness: You are tardy if you are not in your seat when the final bell rings. Your first and second tardy will result in a 15 minute detention to be served in this room after school within seven calendar days. If you refuse to stay or refuse to make arrangements to stay, you will be referred to the dean’s office. Your third and subsequent tardies will be dealt with in the dean’s office. This is in effect the entire school year.

Absenteeism: English requires diligent study. You must be in attendance in order to share your ideas. When you are absent, no matter what the reason, it is your responsibility to request assistance from us regarding missing work. After five days, you forfeit the right to make up the test. When you are absent, you must complete the work within one day per excused absence.

Graded work: All formally graded work (Homework, Essays) must be typed or very neatly written in ink. All term papers must follow the Modern Language Association (MLA) format. The appearance of the work you turn in must be neat and clean of wrinkles, stains and folds. Illegible work and papers without the proper identification will receive a zero.

Each assignment is a reflection of your progress in achieving the goals of the course. A grade is meant to reflect your level of mastery; assignments that are not turned in tell us nothing about your progress and knowledge. Simply not turning in assignments and taking a zero is not an option in this course. More than one missing assignment a quarter will result in "no credit" for the quarter grade. You must turn assignments in to earn a grade for the course. To that end…

To ensure success in this classroom you must only do three things everyday:

1. Be on time- see tardy policy

2. Be prepared and productive- be ready to work and have all materials each day

3. Be polite- no cussing, say please and thank you and no food or drink in the room

Academic Integrity/ Plagiarism: You are expected to turn in your own work. Plagiarism includes taking any information verbatim from any source, including the Internet, without giving proper credit to the author, or rearranging the order of words and/ or changing some words as written by the author and claiming the work as your own. If you use information from another source (including: internet, books, peers) you must cite that source using MLA format. If it is shown that you are using someone else’s work without giving them credit you will receive a zero and a parent/ guardian will be notified. If you let someone use your work, you will receive a zero. If you use a term paper that is not your own work, you will be referred to the dean’s office.

Extra Help: One of us will be available each day after school until 3:45 p.m. All other times are by appointment. You are encouraged to stay if you need some assistance.

Fall 2007- Spring 2008

Reading is a central focus of our American Literature class. We strive to foster an environment where reading is not only an academic responsibility, but an activity that can be done for pleasure. We have worked to establish a library for our classroom that includes a wide variety of genres as well as ability levels so that every student can find a text that appeals to them. The books in our classroom library are never assigned. They are checked out on a voluntary basis.

We are sensitive to having appropriate reading material is our classroom library. That said, what is considered "appropriate" may vary from one parent to another. Some parents do not mind their child reading Stephen King; other parents object to the horror genre. Please be aware that the selections in our classroom library, just like the public library, range from elementary-level to university-level reading material. We ask that you remain aware throughout the year to the books that your child has chosen to read and assist in gauging the appropriateness.

Student Name: ________________________________ Class Period: ____________

__________________________________ __________________________________

(Student's Signature)                                     (Parent's Signature)

__________________________________ __________________________________

(Student's e-mail)                                          (Parent's e-mail)

Return this form with both signatures by August 24, 2007.

Please feel free to contact one of us if you have any additional questions or concerns.